Behind the Scenes of Oprah's Favorite Things
Photo: Harpo Inc./George Burns
In July the boxes and bags started to appear, a few here and a bunch there, small enough for a pair of earrings, big enough to hold a refrigerator, and every size in between. We began to see trays of bangles and rafts of notecards in the magazine's gift closet, bundles of scarves and silky bathrobes and plush towels, bottles of wine and crystal glasses to pour it into. Dog beds comfy enough to invite human napping. Nail polish in every color of the spectrum. Carafes. Menorahs. A vast landscape of chocolate.
Welcome to Oprah's Favorite Things, 2012! In the middle of all this you'll find—no surprise here—Adam Glassman, O's creative director. Adam searches for Favorite Things the way the forty-niners panned for gold: optimistically and relentlessly, turning up nuggets. For weeks he and his team pored over catalogs and trolled Web sites, surveyed the aisles of gift shows and tasted their way through food exhibitions. Daily, they Skyped Oprah. Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Inclusion on this list is hard won, with the 95 Favorite Things selected from among thousands of contenders.
This year we were excited to hear that our colleagues at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) had decided to revisit the program long known as "the hottest ticket in television." In one "Favorite Things" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah had the audience believing they'd come for a "discussion of education issues"; when Oprah pulled back the curtain to reveal the show's real mission—an avalanche of gifts for everyone in the studio—paramedics were standing by.
I can't predict whether this year's Favorite Things list will cause any medical emergencies, but I can tell you that it's bigger and more textured than ever—and you have multiple opportunities to win items from it yourself. Step 1: Tune in to OWN's two-hour special on November 18 for on-the-spot chances to score prizes (and their list is even more expansive than ours!). Step 2: Check in frequently at Oprah.com for instructions on how—and when—you can win throughout the holiday season. Step 3: Don't miss the chance to take part in O's annual 12-Day Give-O-Way, in which a dozen readers will receive all of Oprah's Favorite Things featured in our pages! (For instructions see page 28.)
"Giving away my favorite things is what it's all about," Oprah says. "That's the only reason to do this." We agree. Nothing would make us happier than to have Adam Glassman's elves wrap up a chimney full of presents for you. Enjoy the December issue filled with favorite things from Oprah—and all of us at O, and OWN. Happy holidays!
—Susan Casey, Editor in Chief
More Favorite Things
Welcome to Oprah's Favorite Things, 2012! In the middle of all this you'll find—no surprise here—Adam Glassman, O's creative director. Adam searches for Favorite Things the way the forty-niners panned for gold: optimistically and relentlessly, turning up nuggets. For weeks he and his team pored over catalogs and trolled Web sites, surveyed the aisles of gift shows and tasted their way through food exhibitions. Daily, they Skyped Oprah. Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Inclusion on this list is hard won, with the 95 Favorite Things selected from among thousands of contenders.
This year we were excited to hear that our colleagues at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) had decided to revisit the program long known as "the hottest ticket in television." In one "Favorite Things" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah had the audience believing they'd come for a "discussion of education issues"; when Oprah pulled back the curtain to reveal the show's real mission—an avalanche of gifts for everyone in the studio—paramedics were standing by.
I can't predict whether this year's Favorite Things list will cause any medical emergencies, but I can tell you that it's bigger and more textured than ever—and you have multiple opportunities to win items from it yourself. Step 1: Tune in to OWN's two-hour special on November 18 for on-the-spot chances to score prizes (and their list is even more expansive than ours!). Step 2: Check in frequently at Oprah.com for instructions on how—and when—you can win throughout the holiday season. Step 3: Don't miss the chance to take part in O's annual 12-Day Give-O-Way, in which a dozen readers will receive all of Oprah's Favorite Things featured in our pages! (For instructions see page 28.)
"Giving away my favorite things is what it's all about," Oprah says. "That's the only reason to do this." We agree. Nothing would make us happier than to have Adam Glassman's elves wrap up a chimney full of presents for you. Enjoy the December issue filled with favorite things from Oprah—and all of us at O, and OWN. Happy holidays!
—Susan Casey, Editor in Chief
More Favorite Things
NEXT STORY
